Telephone-call-recording device.



G. R. FAWKES. TELEPHONE CALL EECCEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. I9; 190s.

Patented Nov. 16, 1909. 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. E. PAWKES.

TELEPHONE GALL RECORDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 19, 190s.

940,140. Patented Nov. 16,1909. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TELEPHONE-CALL-RECORDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1909.

Application led November 19, 1908. Serial No. 463,366.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. Fawkes, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Waterloo, Blackhawk county, Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone-Call-Recording Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in telephone-call recording devices, and the object of my improvement is to provide means whereby a record may be made and kept of the calls, whether local orv long-distance,

made by a subscriber and user of a telephone,

to be used as a basis for computing the service value of the instrument. This object I have accomplished by the means which` are hereinafter fully described and claimed, and which are illustrated in the accompanying in which: Figure 1 is a right-hand side elevation of my improved telephone-call recording de- `ig. 2 is a rear elevation of my said device. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective of one of the numberbearing front sectors. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective of one of the rear sectors. Fig. 5'is a detail perspective of one ofthe swinging engaging arms. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective of a portion of the iixed cross-shaft and of two of the driving-pawls pivoted thereon. Fig. 7 is a perspective detail of the rockshaft which carries the locking-arms for the plunger-rods. Fig. 8 is a broken perspective,

detail of one of the-driving-pawls showing the method of its mounting on the iixed cross-shaft.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout'the several views.

`My improved recording device is conveniently housed in a casing 1 secured to a backing 19. The side-plates of said casing are provided on their interior surfaces with socket-bearings for the reception of the ends of the main shaft 14 on which are mounted the recording sectors 5 and 58, spaced apart. lfrom each other, to rock thereon. Each recording sector 5 has nine internal obliquelydirected or inclined teeth 27, the roots of which afford ten engagements for the detent 15 on the swing-arm 16. The curved edge of the sector is made broad and supplied with rojecting pins 4, the latter being arranged in a series of figures or numerals begining at the top and running serially toward the bottom, being the numerals 0 to 9 con- 1 secutively. The pins are pointed and slightly spaced apart in the outlines of Said numerals, l and act in piercing a record-card to impress or puncture therein the respective numeral when the sector has been rocked to a` prede-y termined position by the proper action Aof the apparatus. Y

Projecting from the 'right-hand side of each sector 5, with its rear edge indented a distance from the edge thereof, is an auxiliary sector 55, the upper an le of which is located at about the middle o the arc of the sector 5, while its lower angle extends a` considerable distance .beyond the lower angle of thev latter. The sector 55 has ten inclined teeth with a corresponding number of intermediate roots 4on its exterior curved edge, and which are adapted to engage the propjointed pawl on the forward member 37 of the bell-crank lever 51. The upper sector 5 has an inclined detent 6 projecting inwardly from the inner edge of its upper radial arm, while the lower sector 55 hasan inclined surface 45 extending from the root of its lowermost internal tooth 27 to the inner edge of its lower radial arm, and the use of each will be 'fully explained hereinafter. Extending forwardly fromthe hub of the sector 5 and integral -therewith is another sector 7, having both a shorter arc and radius. The broadened exterior curved edge 8 of the sector 7 is supplied with a consecutive series of the primary numerals at 65, beginning at the lower angle of the sectorvwith 0 and running upwardly serially to 9.V As many of the recording rock-devices composed of said sectors 7, 5 and 55 are supplied in the apparatus as desired, the rock-device at the righthand being used for units, While .the consecutive rock-devices placed on 'the shaft 14l toward the left areem loyed in recording successively for the di erent denary series of numerals in hundreds, thousands and upward. Each of the said rock-devices are exactly alike, and are operatively connected to coact by means of the following described means. s

A plunger-rod 29' furnished with an exteriorly placed push-button or disk 1l, is adapted to slide through a bearing orifice in the front of the casing 1 and through an interior bracket-bearing 30. A compression spring 10 is seated about said rod between said button and said casing to keep said rod ordinarily retracted forwardly. -The rear taken horizontallv 24, constructed of some soft and nulus 25, and the latter carries a detent 31 pivoted thereto by a prop-joint to limit its forward swing. A spring sounder 34 has its lower end secured to the bottom of the casing 1, with. its free upper end lylng 1n the path `of movement of the detent 31. When the rod 29 is pushed back, the detent 31 en,

gages and moves back the free end of the said spring sounder passing it, and 1n returning said detent swings rearwardly `on its pivot to pass over said sounder to arrive at its first position. A drop-block or rockarm 26 is secured to a rock-shaft 42, the latter having its ends mounted in bearing-oricesl in said casing, and by bearing-brackets 63. Each arm 26 has a depending sto 33, to prevent its lowering beyond the orizontal position shown in Fig. 1, in which position said arm 26 is interposed in the path of movement of the rod 29, thus preventi the shifting of the latter to make a recoiid when the lessee of the telephone so desires. The left-hand end of the rock-shaft 42 is provided with an expansion 32 containing a key-way or seat for a separable key 44 having wards 53 to fit `said key-seat, and such key is used to rock said arm 26 into or out of the path of movement of the plungerrod 29. The plunger-rod 29 has a vertical flat expansion provided with a nearly vertical slot 35 to receive a stud 28 projected from the upper member Vof the bell-crank lever 51 to slide therein. The forward end-of the lower member 37 of said bell-crank lever has a pawl 39 pivoted to it by a prop-joint to limit its downward movement, and said pawl is adapted to engage the teeth 40 of the lower sector` 55, said pawl giving enough to slide past the teeth when 'the sector is moved up.

2 and 61 are' registering slideways and receptacles for a card or slip of paper, the said receptacles being separated from each other by a narrow horizontal space in line with one row of the puncturing teeth characters alongthe entire series of 58. A horizontal roller yielding elastic material is placed to the rear of said space between the receptacles 2 and 61 and alined therewith, with its pintles 23 pivotally mounted in the lowerends of depending arms 21, the latter having at their upper ends pintles 18 pivoted in bracket-bearings 62 secured to the casing 1. Depending springs 17 are adapted to bear resiliently against the front of each .arm 21 to keep rock-devices 5A and them pushed back when not in use. A rockshaft 20, having an exteriorly placedcrank 41, has cams 22 secured thereto, the latter being in contact with the rear surfaces of the arms 21, and when the crank is turned, the cams push forward the roller 24 to engage the back of a card deposited in the receptacles 2-61 and thus push the card against the row of pin-outlinedXcharacteis 4 to cause the latter to prick a line of punctured characters on the card.

In front of the receptacle 2, and spaced apart therefrom is a horizontal rod 67 whose ends are supported by the casing 1. On this rod are pivoted the upper ends of a plurality of swing-arms 16, one for each rockdevice 5 and 58. Referring to Fig. 5 it will be seen that each arm has at its lower end on its right-hand side a projecting stud or pin 15 which extends within the interior hollowv of the adjacent sector 5 to the right, and is adapted -to engage the root of abutting teeth on the interior arc of the sector. A fiat spring 3 is secured to the forward surface of the receptacle 2 just over each arm 16, whose free end engages the flattened part of the arm at 47 when the arm is in its lowered position, and which engages another flattened part of said arm at an inclination to the other when said arm lis in its lifted position. The spring 3 therefore tends to keep the arm below it with its pin 15 in engagement with the teeth 27 of the sector 5 when engaging the iattened part 47, and when engaging the part 46 the spring tends to keep the said arm lifted away out of contact with said teeth.

Rock-arms 37 are pivoted on the transverse rod 36 lat proper intervals to permit their prop-jointed pawls 39 (the latter pivoted on pintles 66) to engage the exterior teeth 40 on the adjacent sector 55. Only the right-handarm 37has a bell-crank member 51, the other arms 37 having a bell-crank member 49 placed at a different inclination thereto. This free arm 49 is contacted by a .stud 50 which projects from the left-hand side of the sector 55 to the right, when the two adjacent sectors are in a certain relative positionto each other. Each of these other arms 37 has in its hub a hollow 67 extending a part of the way around the shaft 36 and into which a pin 68 projects from said shaft o limit the play of the arm upon the shaft. In said casing 1, at the left-hand side thereof, is a plurality of rock-devices 57-58,

which are the same in all respects as to construction and mode of operation, as the rockdevices 5-55 already described, and which are actuated by means of a separate plun errod 54 having a button 12, and intermediate mechanism, consisting of a bell-crank lever 5], connection 28, 35, and annulus and detent adapted to engage a sounder spring 43, similar to the like mechanism employed as above described. The rock-devices 57`58 and their connecting and actuating mechanism are entirely independent'of the iirst-described rock-devices, and are used solely to record long-distance callsfas will be hereinafter described, the rst-described rock-devirlzas 5 55 being used alone to record local ca s. Y

The apparatus is actuated and used in the following manner. The casing 1 is placed sufficiently near to the t-ransmitter of a telephone so that the sound of the springsounder 34 when struck, or the sounder 43 as the case may be, may be heard by the centrai-station operator. When the central-station operator is called up by the subscriber Ythe latter 1s directed by the former, after the connection has been made with the receiver of the message, to push in the button 11. This done, the detent 31 strikes and moves backward and forward over the said sounder 34, which produces a sound which s-heard by the operator. The operator then connects the line of the subscriber with the line of the receiver of themessage.`

The moving back of the plunger-rod 29, causes `the pin 28 to slide to the bottom of the slot 35, and then the member 15 is impelled-rearwardly throwing up the arm 37 the pawl 39 then pushing up the sector 55' in the space of one tooth which brings the character l'of the series 4 in line with the space between the receptacles 2-61. In the same way each succeeding call is made, and the sector 55 is pushed up by degrees, the pin 15 on the arm 16 catching each time between lfor another movement thereover. sector 55 moves up for the tenth time its two of the teeth 27 as it slides thereover. When the pawl 39A pushes up the sector 55 for the tenth time, the pin 15 contacts with and rides out over the inclined part 45 of the sector, which causes it to move out enough to bring the flat-spring 3 in engagement with the fiat placeA 46 on the said arm 16, and the spring then holds it out of contact with the teeth 27. As, impelled by the coiled spring 10, the pawl 39 is retracted away from the teeth '40,'the' released sector 55 iniiuenced by its own gravity, falls. The pin 15 then is contacted by the inclined plane 6 which forces it inward so that thespring 3 slips from the plane part 46 to the plane part 47 of the arm 16, the pin then engaging the first root in the series of teeth 27 ready As the pin 50 engages the free end of the bell-crank member 49 to its left, lifting the sector 55 to the left which has the tens series 4 through the space of one tooth, where its character 1 will appear in the spa-ce between the receptacles 2 and`61, which indicates a registration of 10, the first sector 5 being in its lowest Aposition with its character 0 in linein said space. Each successive actuation in a like manner moves the rockdevices described, until the last actuation, when the series of sectors may be thrown back to the zero position by an additional pushing in of the button 11. f

The lindependent series of rock-devices 57--58 which is used only to record for longdistance calls, is manipulated and actuated in like manner to the mechanism already described, the subscriber ushinglin the button 12 once foreach. submiiltiple of the total fee for the call. l f

Whendesired, the total of calls recorded may be ascertained by looking through a transparent plate 9 in the front. part of the casing, the total appearing in the alincd gures 65 on the res )ective sectors 7. The total may be recorde at any time on a slip of paper inserted in the communicating receptacles 2 and 61, by turning the crank 41 which impels the cams 22, and roller 24 to carry the paper upon the pins 4, puncturing a record on the'paper.

The apparatus forms a reliable and easily manipulated means for keeping a record of the number of calls made by a subscriber',

when it is desired to thereby determine the service value of the annexed telephone.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an apparatus' for. the purpose set forth, the combination of a plurality of recording devices mounted to rock on a common shafteach of said recording devices being formed of oppositely located integral sectors, each of whichv is provided on the edge of its arc `with a denary series of numerals, each of the numerals on said sectors being lined in projecting pins of even length which move in the Asame arc, the pin-bearing sectors having on one sideboth outwardly and inwardly projecting'ratchet-teeth, a manually operable actuating device adapted for reciprocation, a driving-pawl connected with said actuating device and adapted to engage the outwardly projecting ratchet teeth on lone of said recording devices only to move the latter through the space of one tooth during each reciprocation of said actuating device, a spring-controlled holding-pawl engaging the inwardly-directed ratchet teeth on each recording device, each of the said recording devices having the lower and upper ends of its range of inwardly-directed ratchet-teeth terminating in an inclined plane, the lowermost plane being adapted to throw said holding-pawl out of and the uppermost plane to push it back into engagement with said ratchet-teeth, said pawl being so formed and engaged by its controlling-spring that the latter will keep it out Aof engagement with said ratchet-teeth after said pavvl is raised away therefrom by the first-mentioned inclined plane and until it is returned to its first position by said second-mentioned linclined plane, engagingmeans on said recordingI devices adapted when one of said devices has movedby steps to the last of its seriesof numerals to coact to move the next adjacent recording device one step in its numerical series,.and independent means for holding and carrying formed of separated characters out-` ablank at will into engagement with alined sector, each of the said sectors having at plu-outlined numerals 1n one certain row the limit 4of each of the lower ,and upper only on the several re'cording devices to ends of its range ofy inwardly '-Adirected 25 thereby puncture on said blank a record ratchet-teeth means respectivel adapted to therefrom. disengage or ren ge said goldingpawl 2. In an apparatus for the purpose set from or with sai ratchet-teeth, means forth, the combination of a plurality of deadapted to `keep said holdin -pawl disenvices mounted to rock on acommon shaft, gaged from said ratchet-teet after it is 30 each of said devices being formed of opelevated therefrom andruntil it is returned positely located integral sectors, each of to its holding position by the shifting-means which has on its edge a plurality ofcharat the upper end of each row of said ratchetacters, suchy sectors each having both outteeth, and engaging-means on said sectors wardly -and inwardly projecting ratchetadapted when one of the sectors has moved 35 teeth, a manually-operable actuating device by steps to the last of its character series to adapted for reciprocation, a driving-pawl co'act to move the next adjacent sector one connected with said actuating device and step in itsA character series. adapted to engage the outwardly projecting Signed at Waterloo, Iowa, this 81st day ratchet teeth on one of said sectors only to of Oct. 19033.

v move the latter through the space of one GEORGE R. FAWlES.

tooth during each reciprocation of said actu- Witnesses: A. ating-device, a holding-pawl engaging the G. C. KENNEDY,

inwardly-directed ratchet-teeth on each O. -D. Yonne. f 

